The Boulder man is a professional snuggler, and he's not alone. In fact, since DeCicco started his snuggle company in January, his staff of eight other "Snuggle Stars" are increasingly booking up, with as many as 10 clients a week.

DeCicco also organizes donation-based, monthly snuggle parties. Fifty or so people -- most strangers -- come together to lie on the ground in big group piles, or explore safe and consensual physical contact with each other. Age, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, background -- none of it is supposed to matter.

Some regular participants are physically handicapped. Others are single, elderly or lonely. Others are energy healers, massage therapists or just plain curious.

This isn't an "only in Boulder" phenomenon. Snuggle parties are a growing trend worldwide.

The Snuggery (thesnuggery.org) in New York encourages clients to shower before their snuggle session, but skip the perfumes. If you get sexually aroused, the website explains, "don't worry, it happens. Although sexual activity is not permitted, arousal is perfectly normal and should not make anyone feel uncomfortable."

San Francisco-based Cuddle Therapy (cuddletherapy.com) is based on the belief that there's a lack of non-sexual intimacy in the world. "Human beings need touch, and the lack of a romantic partner shouldn't prevent us from receiving such wonderful medicine," the website reads.

Indeed, Boulder's snuggle company, Be The Love You Are, calls its services an "alternative healing modality."

The power of a snuggle

Research does back the power of touch.

One of the earlier studies, a controversial test by Harry Harlow, found that baby monkeys deprived of their mother's touch struggled with social and cognitive development. One of the monkeys refused to eat after it was released and died a few days later.

As study by the University of North Carolina found that couples who hugged for extended periods of time had more oxytocin, which can decrease depression, stress and addictions, and improve feelings of calmness and even immunity.

The research goes on. Touch can lower blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol and anxiety. It can improve your self-esteem.

And although the idea of wrapping your arms around a stranger may seem weird, creepy or uncomfortable for some people, the experience was profoundly powerful for Don McCaleb, a Boulder County child psychologist.

He learned about a Boulder snuggle party on Craigslist. He had been brainstorming ways to incorporate more healthy touch into schools, and he says he attended to see if a snuggle party might be able to benefit kids who don't get much physical contact in their homes.

He didn't realize how the experience would benefit him.

McCaleb suffers from a genetic neurological disorder that causes his hands and arms to tremor.

As the party started, he admits he was a little anxious. Pillows and blankets covered the floor, and relaxing music with a strong beat played softly. Someone asked if she could lay her head on his chest; always asking permission is one of the rules. He said, "Sure."

By the end, he says he was "absolutely, totally relaxed" -- so much, in fact, that he says his tremor was barely visible. The affect lasted for several hours. Although he doesn't have medical proof, he attributes it to a combination of endorphins and relaxation.

"I felt like I was on a little bit of a high, even though it ended at 11:30 p.m. I felt very awake," McCaleb says. "I felt similar to after a good bike ride."

Or a full-body massage, he says.

"Physical touch is something we're afraid of in Western society and we neglect it, but there's no doubt it's beneficial, especially to people not getting enough of it," he says.

More than just a hug

The snuggle business is more than just jumping in a pile of bodies, DeCicco explains. His Snuggle Stars -- scan their pictures and bios on his website and pick your favorite -- are trained to follow a specific process that begins with a meditation and breathing together. Many have backgrounds in Reiki, meditation, tantra, quigong, kundalini yoga and other kinds of energy work.

DeCicco is a level 1 certified tantra student and educator in training. He also does kundalini yoga and co-leads a men's group with the Mankind Project.

Growing up, he says he was shy and didn't get a lot of touch. After his divorce, he says he began doing healing work around intimacy, and he realized how much touch healed and transformed him.

Be The Love You Are started with DeCicco holding a sign for "free hugs" on the Pearl Street Mall and at the farmers' market. He says the response was fascinating.

"Some are really shy and see it and run away and smile. Others see it and come running up," he says. "It made me realize it's really a lot deeper than just that initial hug. There's a lot going on emotionally for people around hugging with strangers, from wanting more intimacy in their life and not knowing how to get it, to people who love hugging and hug everybody and want to spread it."

The events, held at a kundalini yoga center, are designed to be "conscious." No drugs or alcohol. No kissing. No removal of clothes. Always ask permission before touching someone. If they say no, instead of feeling rejected, respond, "Thank you for taking care of yourself."

Snuggling without the potential of sex removes the pressure, allowing people to feel safe and connect in a different way, DeCicco says. It can help heal abuse or trauma, and help men break break down sexual stigmas or fears, too.

"Because the expectation of sex is not there, receiving a cuddle from a guy can be really healing. Some guys have never been held by another guy," DeCicco says. "To feel masculinity in a safe way is really powerful. Same with a woman. It doesn't mean I'm this or that. I just feel the person, beyond their form."

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